Closely Watched Trains is a Czechoslovakian movie about a young man who, as IMDb puts it, longs to be liberated from his virginity. The biggest problem with this movie is the pacing. I found it tedious and boring and thought it moved much too slowly. The first half lacked any real substance, and it was only in the second half of the film that we got some semblance of theme or message. This movie would have made a pretty stellar 30 minute short. The mood, sound, and images were so timeless, however, that if it weren't in Czech it could pass as a modern American independent film. (And with it, all the negatives associated with the modern American independent.) Technically, the movie is rock-solid. The shot compositions and editing were quite good, with equally well-done sound design and music to match. The characters were all really interesting, although their actions and motivations were usually quite bizarre and ultimately unexplained. There are some astoundingly erotic scenes, mixed in with tense drama and witty humor to make a very full-bodied movie. But I did not find it particularly meaningful, funny, or romantic; it didn't excel or stand out for me in any of those categories. It's a bit more tender than the gotta-get-laid comedies being made now, and for that I can appreciate it. But sometimes it's just too emo, and that is unforgivable.IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0060802/